Royer earns seventh Race to the Sky 300 win

Seeley Lake’s Jessie Royer brought home her seventh 300-mile Race to the Sky win Monday, Feb. 13, crossing the finish line at the Hi Country arch at 7:40 p.m., more than an hour ahead of second-place finisher Erik Oline.

A veteran musher with 31 years’ experience, Royer won her first Race to the Sky at just 17 years old in 1994, when it was a 500-mile race. Her second win came in 2015, when lack of snow in Lincoln led to the race being run out of Seeley Lake. Royer also racked up wins in 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022.

Oline crossed under the arch at Hi Country at 8:48 p.m. with 12 dogs from Royer’s J-Team Kennel. Last year he ran his first Race to the Sky, mushing in the 100-mile race. Charmayne Morrison came in at 10:15 p.m. for third place and Clayton Perry finished fourth place at 6:40 Tuesday morning, Feb. 14.

This year, Lincoln’s Nicole Lombardi earned the first-place win in the 100-mile race. Covering the distance in 15 hours and 25 minutes, including rest stops, she finished the race at 6:14 a.m., Feb. 12.

Last year Lombardi, who was the first musher from Lincoln to take part in the race in more than a decade, took second place in the 100-miler.

Lombardi also won The Triple Crown Trophy for being the highest place finisher in the Eagle Cap 100, the Idaho Challenge 100 and the Race to the Sky 100. The trophy will be on display at Hi Country. This marks the second year she’s won the trophy.

The 2022 Race to the Sky saw a huge turnout of mushers, with 12 entrants in the 300-mile and 14 in the 100-mile, but entries were down considerably this year, with only four mushers in the 300. Last year Race to the Sky Vice President Pam Beckstrom said the uptick was likely due to mushers eager to get back on the trail after COVID led to the cancelation of most races in 2021. This year, participation in distance races is down across the board, possibly due to the economy and gas prices.

Despite the smaller field of mushers, a mass of fans descended on Lincoln to watch the start of the races, Saturday, Feb. 11, with cars and trucks overflowing the Hi Country parking lot and lining the roads and highway nearby.

The 2023 Race to the Sky wrapped up Tuesday at 1 p.m. with an awards ceremony for the 300-mile teams at Hi-Country Snack Foods Trading Post.